With the release of In Plain Speech, Circuit de Yeux singer Haley Fohr’s fearless forays into cinematic drone have shifted from solo production to collaboration inspired by collective living. Orchestral bursts and sparse string arrangements alike populate this latest work, her dramatic howl like a somehow more androgynous Nico or an avante-garde Cher. Based in Indiana with close ties to the Chicago noise scene, Fohr is playing not one, but two shows in NYC in wildly disparate venues. The first, at NoHo jazz club SubCulture, who hosts her in conjunction with Wordless Music, also features NYC composer Bing & Ruth. The second, at Todd P-run Ridgewood DIY space Trans-Pecos, sees Ancient Ocean and Evan Caminiti supporting. Given Fohr’s sensitive treatment of environment on her LP, the likelihood that each show will be incredibly different from the other (and both worth seeing) is very high. – Lindsey Rhoades

Boston’s been quietly building its status as the American center of indie rock for years, and the band at the heart of that ascent is four-piece Pile. Their songs are quietly intense slow-burners, nursing tension long and exploding in deeply satisfying ways at just the right moments. This signature has filtered into the catalog of every band succeeding them: Rapidly ascending groups like LVL UP and Krill owe much of their success and their sound to these guys. You’re Better Than This, the Pile LP released in March, shows a band continuing to evolve as they lead the way, and where they’re heading sounds like a very good place. – Zoë Leverant

For fifty years the Grateful Dead have been providing the soundtrack to the counterculture. You either dig them or despise them, but it’s safe to assume at least one branch per family tree would describe themselves as a “dead head.” This weekend at Chicago’s Soldier Field, the last stadium band leader Jerry Garcia performed before his 1995 passing, the four original members — Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, and Bob Weir — will play one last time as a collective with Phish’s Trey Anastasio covering for Jerry. For a complete list of NYC venues broadcasting Fare Thee Well, check this listing for all the locations. – Silas Valentino

Named after the coffee machines that fueled their East Los Angeles beginnings, Las Cafeteras is a seven-piece band that updates and politicizes the son jarocho tradition of Veracruz, Mexico. Their version of “La Bamba Rebelde” is a rebel call to a world without borders and “Trabajador Trabajadora” celebrates immigrant worker dignity with a rapping history lesson. Their last album was 2012’s It’s Time, so it’s safe to say the time has come to expect more great tunes from this LA septet. – Richard Gehr

Jill Scott‘s music is generous and contains multitudes: scorching brushfires of soul tracks with the Roots and (in her best spot this decade) Eve, plus fifteen years’ worth of post-r&b flecked with spoken word and inhabited by one of the genre’s warmest voices. This past May she released her single, “Fools Gold,” where she laments a failed relationship for our listening pleasure. She’ll be at Kings Theatre promising emotions that transcend the summer season’s glitz. – Katherine St Asaph

The term virtuoso can be tossed around recklessly but there’s a reason it tends to be used when mentioning Victor Wooten. For the range of notes he hammers and that fierce control he has over the bass, few other words can accurately summarize his talent. He’s been a part of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones since the early Nineties, and his solo career has been a mighty showcase of his signature open-hammer-pluck technique. Since the comedy flick I Love You, Man the phrase “slappin’ the bass” might have become somewhat exhausted. When Wooten does it, all jokes get pushed aside. – Silas Valentino

Legend has it that Animal Collective’s Avey Tare discovered the sister act Prince Rama in a Texan bar back in 2010, and since then, the psych-dance outfit has arrived in Brooklyn. But this relocation hasn’t lost them any of their charm. Packed with electricity and grooves that build on top of each other in an aural illusion, Prince Rama is made for the freaks by the freaks. Throw in the New York City-via-Columbia electro/songstress Salt Cathedral and you have yourself a unique way to celebrate our country’s Independence Day. – Silas Valentino

Joe Bataan embodies the spirit of Spanish Harlem. Raised in the neighborhood around 103rd Street, he began releasing music in the late Sixties but came into his own during the following decade when he helped create the hybrid style salsoul. Bataan offers the croon of a soul man but with the rhythm of Latin jazz and there’s not an ounce of misrepresentation behind the name of his most recent record, 2009’s King of Latin Soul. The song that best exhibits his musical duality is 1972’s “I Wish You Love, Parts 1 & 2” where he begins by clawing for love before transitioning midtrack to a mambo rhythm fit for the dancefloor. – Silas Valentino

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s summer, which means ice cream, tropical-flavored slowjams, and cruising on boats. Verboten’s “Zeitgeist at Sea” Party delivers at least two of those things, bringing electropop producer Goldroom and Circle Line’s Sightseeing Cruise together for a sunset boat ride with soft, summery beats (and breezes) on July 5. The perfect footnote to Independence Day weekend, the ship sets sail from Pier 83 at West 42nd at 3 p.m. and docks back around 9, featuring additional performances from bedroom beat-maker the Golden Pony and Brooklyn deep house DJ Speakerbot. Bring your own frozen treats. – Lindsey Rhoades

NYC comedy veteran and perennial nervous guy Chris Gethard plays Ilana’s boss on Broad City and recently appeared as a juror in Inside Amy Schumer‘s “12 Angry Men” episode. His fans know him for something else, though: the long-running Chris Gethard Show, a bizarre, unpredictable, and deeply heartfelt public-access call-in show he’s hosted since 2011. After thriving in its dark corner for years, he has transitioned to cable and his show premiered on Fusion in May. Geth (as he’s affectionately known) will perform an hour of comedy about suicide, depression, alcoholism, and all the other funniest parts of life. – Zoë Leverant